Crying Out
by Goddess Trinity
Summary: John, the BLU Sniper, never told anybody about his daughter.  The reason why is because she acted like she hated him.  But John will learn the trials of being a single father, as well as finding love in the most unexpected person.  Rating will go up later
1. Sydney Airport

_Author's Note: I do not own any of the "Team Fortress 2" characters or locations. This is merely for entertainment purposes, and I am not looking to profit off of this piece of fiction. All characters/locations belong to Valve. Chloe belongs to me. _

_I would now like to present, "Crying out". This features my Sniper, John (the BLU Sniper) and his nine year old daughter, Chloe. I hope you all enjoy it, and please…If anybody has tips on how to properly speak in an Australian accent, __**do not hesitate to share with me**__. I'm very inexperienced with accents. _

_Also, I apologize if this story is updated very slowly; my Dad recently was diagnosed with lung cancer in his left lung, so I'll be taking care of him during a lot of my free time. I apologize in advance, and I hope you all understand!_

_

* * *

_John yawned and stretched his arms as the plane he was riding in came in for a landing at Sydney Airport. Outside, he could see the sun shining brightly in the vast Australian sky, and wondered if they were going to be a hot one today; he could see the waves of heat wiggling around in the sky.

It was currently April 11th, and usually, the weather was beginning to get a little cooler this time of year; while he was in America, the weather had been insane, ranging from extremely wet and rainy to just dry and somewhat chilly.

Giving his stubbled chin a small scratch, John ignored the pilot's comments about how nice the weather was and what time it was; John had already changed the time on his watch during the transition from America to Australia. And being a resident of Australia, he already knew how the weather would be.

John wondered if his Mother, Father, and daughter were watching out of the big windows, looking for him. He couldn't wait to get off of this plane; he wanted to see them all; his daughter especially. He'd had enough of being on planes; two of them in 24 hours!

Just as he thought that they would never allow them to stand up, the pilot gave them permission to retrieve their belongings from the overhead bins. Without waiting another moment (his rear end was beginning to fall asleep again), John stood up and opened the overhead bin, pulling out his carry-on luggage; a duffel bag with a few clothes and a gift for Chloe, his nine year old daughter. He was sure that she would love it.

* * *

"John! Ooh, there's my baby boy!" Grace cried out, wrapping her arms around John's tall, lanky body. John gave a small smile and hugged the tiny woman that was his Mother. She smelled of soap and baby powder; scents familiar and comforting to John.

"It's good t' see ya, Mum. How're ya" John asked as he pulled away, noticing Grace dabbing a handkerchief to her eyes. She always shed a tear or two whenever he came home, so he didn't feel bad.

"Oh, bonzer, dearest! Your Dad is waiting with the car, and…Chloe! Oi, Chloe! Come on over here and greet your Father!" Grace called out to the young girl sitting in a chair in the terminal. In the instant that he saw her, John could tell that Chloe was in one of her bad moods again. And it was usually the mood she was in for a day or two after he came home.

With hair the color of deeply rusted metal and deep brown eyes, the girl crossed her arms and begrudgingly waltzed over to him. She didn't look at him, even when he wrapped his long arms around her tiny body.

"Hi, Chloe! Daddy missed ya!" John whispered into her ear, instantly regretting his choice of words; at his words, Chloe looked mad as a cut snake. She always did whenever he told her that he had missed her. She never believed him…At least not right away.

"Chloe, don't be rude! Say hello!" Grace scorned, giving Chloe a look that clearly told her that she would catch it if she didn't watch out.

"…Hullo, Daddy." Chloe mumbled, wrapping her arms around his waist. John was grateful for the action; she almost _never _hugged him upon his arrival back into Sydney. She wouldn't hug him until he had been back for at least a day; maybe she was finally starting to let go of her angry feelings.

That or it was because she had just been scolded by her Grandmother. He didn't care at the moment. She was hugging him, and that was all that mattered.

"Come along, John; we'll go and fetch your things. Best to hurry to avoid the mob." Grace said, leading both her son and granddaughter away from the terminal.

John, upon instinct, held his hand out to Chloe as his Mother began to walk towards the baggage claim. At first, it seemed like she was going to flat out reject him, but at the last moment, she wrapped her tiny, delicate hand in his large, rough one.

He gave it a reassuring squeeze as they followed Grace. For once, Sniper felt that his daughter was happy to see him.

* * *

"Oi, it's the crazed gunman." Louis said as soon as John climbed into the old family car. Chloe silently climbed into the backseat next to John, settling herself into her seat as Grace settled herself in the front seat next to Louis, her husband.

"Dad, for the last time, I'm not a crazed gunman; I'm an assassin. I don't know how many times I have to say it." John said, suppressing the urge to grit his teeth. Grace looked back at him, a sad look in her eyes; John knew she tried to tell his Father that he was a doctor, but to no avail. It wasn't her fault at all.

"Grandpa, do you think that it might be nice enough to go to the beach tomorrow morning?" Chloe asked, her voice much softer towards her Grandfather. Louis looked back at her as he pulled away from the curb, placing a hand on her knee in a reassuring manner.

"I don't see why not, Princess. It's not loike that old No-hoper sitting next to you will get up early and go with ya." Louis said, shooting a dark look at John. John sighed and sat back in the seat.

His Dad was always belittling him in front of Chloe, and it was already bad enough that Chloe didn't approve of his job as a Sniper with Team Fortress Incorporated.

She hadn't always been bitter towards him, though; she had been the sweetest girl before…

"Oh, Mum…Have ya heard anything about…You-Know-Who?" John whispered, hoping that Chloe hadn't heard him. She must not have, for she was just staring out of the window, watching the buildings pass by. Grace looked at him and gently shook her head.

"_Should've known…Sarah hasn't been seen or heard from in two years. Why would anybody have news about her now?"_ John thought as he too looked out the window, watching cars pass by them.

"We're having a nice dinner on the Barbie tonight; mutton, shrimp, steak, you name it!" Grace said, trying to break the tense atmosphere. John's mouth watered at the thought of his Mother's cooking.

"Well, Mum, I'm feelin' a bit stuffed, so is it alright if I grab a nap before dinner?" John asked, yawning. He _was _tired; he just wanted to sleep for a little bit before eating.

"Of course, John. You've had a long trip. I'll send Chloe to wake you up when supper is ready." Grace said as Louis pulled up in front of the house that John had spent his entire life growing up in. The red house on the left on Adelaide Street.


	2. Moment of Nostalgia

_Author's Note: I do not own any of the "Team Fortress 2" characters or locations. This is merely for entertainment purposes, and I am not looking to profit off of this piece of fiction. All characters/locations belong to Valve. Chloe belongs to me. _

_

* * *

_The first thing that greeted John when he walked into the house was a loud bark, the sound of nails scrabbling on tiled, and then wooden, floors. Within seconds, a multicolored streak jumped right onto him, barking and waggling its rear end due to a lack of a tail.

"Domino, ya old bloke! How ya been, boy?" John laughed as the Australian Shepherd whined happily, trying to lick John on the face. The dog was clearly happy to see John, and proceeded to bark right into his face and dance around on his back legs.

"Alright, alright, down boy! Down!" John said, releasing the dog's front paws and setting him back down onto the floor. Domino stood there, his whole butt wiggling in happiness as he smiled a doggish kind of smile.

"Domino, you silly doggy! Jumping on Daddy like that is just rude!" Chloe said, Domino rushing over to the girl, nearly knocking her over onto the floor. Chloe didn't seem to mind, for she petted, kissed, and hugged the excited dog, smiling the entire time.

"He must have known you were coming home today; he's been underfoot ever since we woke up this mornin'!" Grace said as she set John's suitcase down next to the stairs, Domino now proceeding to follow Grace.

"I remember when I first got 'im; he was a fat, little thing. Thought he was just a giant lump of fur until he barked and pissed on me shoes. Oh, did Sarah love 'im…" John trailed off, noticing the bitter silence that followed, especially coming from Chloe.

She had paused in her petting of the dog (who she followed to Grace as well) and had a frozen look on her face. John instantly regretted his innocent moment of nostalgia; Chloe didn't like speaking about Sarah.

"…I'm going up to my room now, Grandma." She said softly as she walked up the stairs, her footsteps quiet as they had always been. Grace merely nodded in her direction, giving John a brief glance before walking over to him, giving him a hug.

"Don't feel bad, John; we all miss her and wish that we knew where she was." She said, giving him a pat on the back.

"I don't; she was always a bludger, that one." Louis said, reclining in his reclining chair, turning on the television set. John felt an instant spike of annoyance towards his Father.

"Dad, she may have made many blues while she was with me, but that doesn't make her a bludger. I'd appreciate it if ya didn't go about trash-talkin' Sarah." John said, avoiding gritting his teeth. He loved his Dad, he really did; but he made it so damn difficult to be around him sometimes.

"Yeah, yeah, but whenever ya decide to start feelin' clucky towards Chloe, come back and talk to me." Louis said, focusing his eyes onto the television.

"Now what the bloody hell are you implying?" John demanded, his annoyance rising. Louis chose this opportunity to ignore his son, choosing to focus his attention onto the program that was playing instead. John could hear Grace sighing from the kitchen as she pulled out various packages of food for the barbeque.

"Mum, do ya know what he means by that?" He whispered to Grace in the kitchen, Louis unable to hear them over the sound of the television.

"Well…It's a bit hard to explain it, dearest. Just ignore him; he's just being cranky." Grace said, unwrapping a package of steaks, looking for the salt and pepper.

"I'd appreciate it if he'd quit actin' like a hoon around Chloe and actin' like Sarah's disappearance was all my fault." John mumbled, leaning against the counter, shoving his hands into his pockets. Grace clucked lightly and patted John on the cheek affectionately.

"Don't worry, love; I'll give 'im a gobful later on. You go an' rest up. Maybe visit Chloe for a few minutes." Grace said, giving his shoulder a reassuring squeeze as she went about preparing for dinner.

John, knowing his Mother wouldn't let him help him out in the kitchen, and his Father too preoccupied with watching the television, he walked up the stairs, making sure to grab his suitcase on the way to drop it off into his room.

Well…His old room, the one from when he was a kid, was now Chloe's room. He had the second guest bedroom, from when he and Sarah…

With a small sigh, he placed the suitcase down onto the bed, looking around the room. It was luxurious compared to what he had back at the base; a king-sized bed, comfortable pillows, his own bathroom…

He felt like he missed something, but he just couldn't tell. Was it the fact that he had gotten rid of all the pictures of Sarah? Or was it something he missed at the base?

Not wanting to dwell on the thoughts anymore, he unlatched his suitcase, pulling out something, and proceeded down the hall towards his old room. The door was open just slightly, John ignoring the various signs on her door that told people to stay out if the door was closed.

"Chloe? Can I come in?" John said, peeking his face into the room. He heard a soft grunt, and he took that as a "yes". He swung the door open gently, looking around.

The walls were no longer the nice shade of blue that had occupied the walls when he was a boy. They were a sort of pleasant shade of green, white trimming the floor and ceiling. The floor was still hardwood, but a small white rug had been put in place near the bed. Various pictures of feminine things such as flowers hung on the walls, the desk cluttered with books about animals and nature. John hardly recognized the room. In other words; the room was girly.

Chloe herself was on her bed, using Domino as a sort of backrest while she read a book. Domino had his eyes closed, his nose twitching occasionally as if he was sniffing something delicious and tasty.

"Whatcha readin', Chloe?" John said as he gingerly sat on the edge of her bed, trying to read the cover of the book, but it was obscured by Chloe's legs, which were propping the book up.

"The Secret Garden. Got it at the op shop last week." She said, not bothering to look up at him as she turned a page, her brown eyes beginning to move across the pages. John felt uncomfortable with how she didn't look at him; but then again, she could have just been engrossed in her book. Chloe always did like reading.

"You're pretty far along, aren't ya?" John asked as she turned yet another page.

"Dad, if you want to talk about Mum, I don't really care. I won't spit the dummy if you talk about her." Chloe said with the patience of an adult, still not looking up from her book. John felt his mouth go dry; Chloe was always so mature, that he often forgot that she caught onto things quickly.

"A-are ya sure, Chloe? I mean…" John began, but Chloe merely put a marker into her book, closed it softly, and looked him right in the eyes.

"Dad, Mum's gone walkabout. She's been gone for two years; I don't think we'll be finding her anytime soon. Sure, I yabbered on about how I wished she would come back, but she won't. I figured it'd just be best to move on." She said pointedly as she sat up off of Domino, who looked up at the sudden absence of her warmth.

"Well…I guess that's good, then. Hey, before I forget…I brought ya back somethin' from America." John said, giving himself a cheerful tone, despite his uneasy feeling about how Chloe just didn't seem to care about finding her Mother anymore. Chloe looked at him, a glint of interest in her brown eyes as he produced the gift from behind his back. Chloe looked at it, and for a few seconds, she was silent. But then she squealed happily as she grabbed the gift from his hands, looking at it.

"The Last Battle! Oh, Daddy, now I can read the last book! Thank you so much!" Chloe said, wrapping her arms around John's neck, planting a kiss onto his cheek. John gave a small chuckle, ruffling Chloe's rust-colored hair with his free hand.

"I'm glad ya like it, Pumpkin. I'm going to rest up a bit, so wake me up when its dinner time, okay?" John said, standing up. Chloe eagerly nodded, abandoning her previous book and starting on the one John had brought her, her eyes devouring the words that told of Narnia, the lion, and all sorts of other fantastic adventures.

At least she wasn't mad at him anymore. With a smile, John proceeded to his room to take a nap, happy that he had made Chloe smile again.


End file.
